Under the Mask
by YouKnowWhatTheySayAboutHope
Summary: Ever since she was little, London has lived by these rules. 1. Don't upset daddy 2. Don't get attached to people 3. Wear the mask Sometimes the mask can be dangerous. But it is what protects her from being hurt.


Ever since she was little, London has lived by these rules.

Don't upset daddy

Don't get attached to people

Wear the mask

The first rule is simple. As long as daddy is happy, or at least not angry with her, he'll let her have anything she wants. The reason London wants so much isn't only because she is spoiled, but mainly because things can replace love, if you have enough. Sometimes, anyway.

London learned to follow the second rule when she was a little kid, after daddy got rid of Stepmommy Number Two. Since daddy's fifth ex-wife believed that she and daddy would be together forever, she made an effort to get close to London. And when she was replaced by Louise, London's third mom, Stepmommy Number Two disappeared from her life and suddenly, London was alone again and missed her replacement-mom terribly.

And finally, the mask is London's survival. The reason no-one ever expects anything from her. This way, she doesn't raise anyone's hopes and this way, she doesn't disappoint anyone. Besides, no-one tries to get close to her while she's wearing the mask, which makes ruler number two a lot easier to follow. Something tells London that she would have missed Maddie a lot more than she already does if it weren't for the mask.

London does her best to sticke to the rules. She never broke the first one, at least not enough for daddy to speak to her in person. However, sometimes she forgets about the importance of the second rule. She can't help but care for Moseby and Maddie. She was punished for breaking that rule, though, when she was sent to sea school, far away from her best friend. This is why she does so much in her power for her roommate, Bailey, to hate her. When Bailey will go to Yale or Harvard or some other nerd-school, London won't miss her at all.

The third rule is a rule that London has to break sometimes. The mask can sufficate you if you wear it too much. Once when she was sixteen, London left it on for too long. At some point, Maddie ripped it off to let her breathe. But London put it back on before her friend could see what is underneath.

Sometimes, London is afraid someone will discover the mask. Fortunately for her, Moseby has been a lot busier since he started working on the ship. But Bailey and their teacher, Ms. Tutweiller, sometimes suspect something. London knows that Ms. Tutweiller is only trying to find the mask out of a sense of duty and Bailey just wants to be friends with her roommate. London often feels a little bad, because both of them often become frustruated with her mask. But the mask is what protects London from being hurt.

Sometimes, London wants to take the mask off and show her face. She has plenty of opportunities, like detention with her teacher, lunch with Moseby and pretty much every night with Bailey. But she never does. Without the mask, she'll be vulnerable, people will expect more from her and will want to get to know. She'll have something other than her money to lose. But the more you have to lose, the more likely you'll lose it, London thinks.

Every now and then, when Bailey is in class, London takes off the mask and shows what is underneath to her book, which is some combination of journal and sketchbook. Right now, London is sketching a picture of her and her friends. Cody's on the very left, beaming, with one arm wrapped around Bailey's waist. Even if Bailey doesn't know that he has a crush on her, London thinks Cody would be pleased if he would ever see it. Next to him, Bailey is laughing and slightly leaning forwards with an arm around Cody's shoulder. Beside to her is Woody. She didn't draw any braces, considering how much the teen complained about them. Then there's Zack with that cheeky expression of his looking up to where Maddie is next to him. The girl has one hand on her hip and another arm draped around Zack's shoulder, ignoring his crush on her. Moseby is on the far right, grinning right at her. He is has been like a father to her. He deserves to smile.

"Hey London." Bailey says as she enters their shared room, not noticing the startled look on her roommates face.

"Can't you knock?" London exclaimes, frantically trying to hide her book.

"No insult today? That's unusual," Bailey jokes.

London just rolls her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?" She didn't expect to have to put the mask back on yet.

No reply. Finally, Bailey asks, "London, are you okay?"

 _Okay?_ No-one knows London. Maddie was the closest to ever discovering what was underneath the mask, she was the only one London knew she could always talk to, the one who could help the girl who was always hiding. But Maddie isn't here.

"Are you okay?" Bailey repeated.

 _No!_ London wanted to scream. She was now stuck behind that mask, stuck behind layers of airheaded comments, stuck behind what seemed like a shallow teenaged girl. But if she takes off the mask… she can already see it. Becoming Bailey's best friend, getting closer to all her other friends, being a fairly good student, graduating with her friends, daddy maybe even telling her he is proud of her, but after that?

"You can tell me, London."

Maybe she is going insane. Maybe a mask can do that to you.

Slowly, the older girl lifted her head to face her roommate. She isn't ready to show what is under the mask. Maybe someday, but not yet. "Yes, Bailey. Everything is ok."

Bailey sits on the bed beside her. "Are you sure? You don't look okay."

Now or never. Pulling the mask back on, London jumps up and replies cheerfully, "Why would I not be okay? Daddy just sent me a million dollars! Something you'll never get! And if you will excuse me, I'm going to the spa!"

With that, she stalked out of the cabin, leaving a confused looking Bailey behind.


End file.
